| ABSTRACT The main goal of this study was to evaluate the performance of two palm species under semi-arid conditions during the rainy and dry periods: the semi-arid native Syagrus coronata and a native to tropical America, Acrocomia aculeata. The leaf water potential, gas exchange, leaf soluble sugars, starch, free amino acids, total soluble protein content and morphological traits were measured. The highest leaf water potential and CO2 assimilation values in both species were achieved during the rainy period. In response to the low soil moisture content during the dry period, gas exchange decreased 72 and 92% in S. coronata and A. aculeata, respectively, when compared with values from rainy period. As evergreen plants, both species maintained intact leaf... |
